View from the Prairie Box

I’m the proudest aunt of Madeleine, Noah, Pierce and George. Here are some images from my little brother’s family visit several weeks ago.

This is where I sat while the McDonalds kitchen staff threw two cheeseburgers (ketchup only!) and a container of hot fries in a bag. I don’t know what was up with my mood this evening, but I felt like a 10 on the aggressive chart. Itchy. Irritable. Desperately wanting something but I couldn’t pinpoint what. Unsatisfied with Facebook and housework in equal proportions, so eager to see something green and alive and to feel the warm sun on my shoulders again. I think I am simply craving life beyond the four walls of my home! If I had my own jet I surely would’ve flown to a tropical location tonight and watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean with drink in my hand.

Since Jeremy is on a big project at work, I decided to chase down the sun. Livia, my Nikon, and McDonalds came along for the ride. What follows is a drive around my side of Lincoln, with stops in optimal locations for looking west. I picked up eggs and bread for the week at a grocery store, then did a series of loops and circling when the sun would capture my eye in a new spot. I think I damaged my eyesight a little in the process.

It was worth it.

I wake up on adoption days and feel the exact same joy as I do on wedding days. A new family is being created! It’s such a hopeful and profound commitment to *loving another* that I am overjoyed and sobered all at once. In January I had the privilege of photographing Amariah’s permanency as a forever member of the Cranford family. Matt and Elaine made true legally what was already true in their hearts. There’s simply nothing like witnessing those moments where a judge confirms that parents are going to give all right of an heir to this child. It’s incredible.

To watch Matt and Elaine’s family grow over the years has been the coolest. Congrats, friends, on your latest adoption day and thanks for letting me be a part of it. We love you, Amariah!

You know a good time has been had by all when shoes are left outside by the trampoline. No, not the cheap flip flops from Target that are crusty from wear and weather. The good sneakers. Kicked off during jumping fun. Forgotten during outdoor play.

Today I’m okay with a little bit of global warming. It’s enough to kick away the winter blues.

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

Earbuds
Hamilton
Editing
Refocusing
Jesus
Life
Joy
Love
Peace

Our street is a sun-lit crystal winter wonderland playground this morning. Only, watch where you step. I carefully made my way onto the front lawn—and no further as the sidewalk was sheer ice still—to capture the ice with my camera. The bokeh in the background of these shots is so so fun.

Happy winter, everyone!

Meteorologists correctly predicted an ice storm to sweep across the Midwest. At first glance it doesn’t seem all that terrible outside. I mean, it’s been raining for awhile but the temps aren’t even very cold. But when the dog goes out and slips and slides his way to the crunchy grass for a potty break, yeah, you know not to attempt an outdoor excursion.

The ice is beautiful and cruel. It hangs from every knob of every tree branch, it evenly coats each blade of grass, it cascades down each frozen bit of concrete—stairs and driveways and sidewalks turn into paths of treachery. I long to move closer to the ice, to photograph it in a way it deserves, and yet… one false move with my slippered feet would end up in some sort of disaster. Years of rheumatoid arthritis have turned a simple fall into a huge cause for concern. I’m an elderly 39 year old. :)

So from inside my cozy warm home—and maybe with one step out under the covered patio—I admire the deceitful beauty outside our doors. I praise God for my husband’s office just down the hall from my own. I am grateful for this day off of school so Livia and I can lounge and dream and read and play a bit more. Happy ice day, my friends! Be safe.